For some, chickweed is a delicious addition to salads and is therefore a valuable wild herb. But once it has established itself in your garden, the adaptable and multiplying plant can quickly become a pest. In this article you will find out how to identify Miere and which control measures are really successful.
How to control Miere weeds in the garden?
To combat Miere weeds, you should pull them out before they bloom, reseed lawns, fertilize specifically and use mulch. Alternatively, you can also consume the he althy plants, for example in salads.
Distinguishing features
The annual, herbaceous Miere grows between five and forty centimeters high. The thin stem is covered with fine hairs. The egg-shaped leaves, about 5 millimeters in size, taper to a point at the end. Chickweed blooms almost all year round. The flowers are very small and pure white.
When the stem is torn off, a piece of the inside of the shoot often remains. This is popularly known as chicken intestine and is a good identifying feature.
Fighting chickweed
Miere mainly thrives in places where the plant finds loose, moist but rather nutrient-poor soil.
Since chickweed does not have very deep roots, it is relatively easy to weed mechanically. Be sure to completely remove all roots so that they do not sprout again from the root remains.
Miere does not rely on pollination by insects, but is self-fertilizing. Therefore, if possible, you should pluck them out before they bloom. Regular scarifying of the lawn also ensures containment.
Planting gaps in the bed
Since the Miere, as an indicator plant, predominantly colonizes open areas, you should quickly close any empty spaces that arise. Reseed lawns and provide additional crops in the vegetable patch.
Targeted fertilization
The Miere prefers nutrient-poor substrate. For this reason, experts recommend fertilizing useful and ornamental plants sufficiently. However, you should avoid over-fertilization as this does more harm than good. If you are unsure which nutrients the soil is missing, a soil analysis will provide clarity.
Protective mulches
Mulching is very successful in suppressing weeds such as moose. The mulch layer hardly lets any light through, so weed seeds can't even germinate.
Just eat the dough
There are actually gardeners who specifically grow chickweed because of its positive effects on he alth. The plant contains, among other things, tannins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, iron and a lot of potassium. These ingredients can have a healing effect on flu-like infections and joint inflammation.
The taste of Miere is described as mild, slightly corn-like. The juicy leaves go well in salads, herb quark and herb butter. The wild herb tastes delicious chopped and sprinkled on bread with s alted butter.
Tip
Chigweed is a useful pioneer plant that is extremely adaptable. It protects cracked or barren soil areas from erosion and thereby prepares bare areas for colonization by other plants.